The present invention relates to generators or motors driven by water or other fluids and more particularly to a generator or motor which may be driven by water pressures typically found in municipal water lines. The invention also relates to a generator or motor for use in a hybrid mobile vehicle wherein the generator/motor can be driven by water (or other fluids) pressurized by any conventional method. Moreover, the present invention could be employed in any number of other uses, such as in power generation systems where the invention proves to be a more efficient generator/motor than another element in the power generation value-chain.
Municipal water systems typically pressurize water in system""s lines to around 70 psi to 90+ psi. While a water pressure of approximately 20 psi to 40 psi is largely adequate for most end-user""s purposes, the higher pressure is maintained for peak water demands or emergency (e.g. fire) water demands. This means that 70 psi to 30 psi of unneeded excess water pressure normally exists in most water lines. To the inventor""s knowledge, there has been no attempt in the prior art to recover useful power from this excess water pressure. It would be a significant advance in the art to provide an apparatus and method which are capable of recovering useful power from pressurized water lines.
The present invention provides a fluid pressure driven generator/motor having a generator/motor housing, a rotor positioned within the housing and having an internal offset gear, a power shaft having a spur gear engaging the internal offset gear; and a high pressure inlet and a low pressure outlet formed in the housing. A source of substantially incompressible fluid will communicate with the high pressure inlet.
One embodiment of the present invention will operate in principle by recovering power stored in the higher pressure water (or another fluid) and then returning lower pressure water (albeit at sufficient pressure for most commercial or domestic uses) to a low pressure water supply. Therefore, the present invention provides a water pressure driven generator/motor. The generator/motor will include a generator/motor housing and a rotor positioned within the generator/motor housing. The rotor will have an internal offset gear which is engaged by a spur gear on a power shaft. A high-pressure water inlet will be formed in the housing and connected to a source of high-pressure water. The housing will also have a low-pressure outlet.
In addition, the invention is readily adaptable for generating significant torque drive in hybrid mobile vehicles where the hybrid vehicle utilizes an alternative power source for water (or another fluid) pressure and for water recirculation. In such a hybrid mobile vehicle, water pressures ranging from 100, to 500, to 5000 psi or more can be employed. Also, the invention is readily adaptable for use in generating power at any decentralized site where pressurized water (or another fluid) is made available.